Corn-harvester



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.v

, R 0 R H T A L K GORN HARVBSTER. No. 323,046.

Patented July 28, 1885 '7 N. PEIERS. Photo-Hummer. Walhingicn. n. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

K. E. LATHR OP. CORN HARVESTER.

No. 323,046. Patented Ju1y28, 1885.

III

Q HIHIIIHINIIII (No Model.) 7 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

K. E. LATHROP. CORN HARVESTER.

No. 323,046. Patented July 28, 1885" w .|||||..r|..L. l....||||||1|||||||||||||| rllllll ll-lxllllllll. l. I |l|ll| NITED STATES PATENT ,FFICEQ KIRKE E. LATHROP, or AFTON, IOWA.

CORN HARVESTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,046, dated July 28, 1885.

Application filed October 8,1884. (No model.) i i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KIRKE E. LATHRoP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Afton, in the county of Union and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Harvesters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to My invention relates to that class of ma chines which are designed to cut and-husk corn, and to deliver said husked corn to a wagon or other suitable receptacle; and my invention consists in the construction, ar rangement, and combination of the parts comprising such machine, all of which I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe the exact manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A represents the frame-work of the machine, and it is provided with the necessary cross-beams for supporting the various parts of the machinery.

B B represent the main or driving wheels of the machine, each wheel being mounted upon a short independent shaft journaled in the frame A.

Between the sides of the frame A, and at its front portion, is suitably journaled a re volving cylinder (3, which consists, essentially, of the end disks, a a, and a series of curved outwardly-extending arms, I). These arms are placed a sufficient distance apart to allow the stalk to pass between them, and they are preferably formed with hollow independent hubs; but these hubs are connected together by rods or other suitable means to form a rigid cylinder for stripping the corn as it stands in the field, and delivering, the detached ears upon an inclined apron or endless belt, to be here inafter referred to.

Within the arbor of the cylinder, and secured to the sides of the frame independently of the cylinder 0, is a frame, D, provided with guides d, between which slides a sicklebar, E, which is very desirable, especially when the corn is green or damp, as in such conditions the corn on the stalk will pull hard, and by this arrangement of the sicklebar the stalks and corn are brought in contact with the knives, and are thereby readily detached.

Upon an end of the sickle-bar E is mounted a small anti-friction wheel; 0, and upon a shaft, 2, is mounted a wheel, F, provided with a surface which forms a series of cams, 0, while upon the flange of the wheel F is formed a projection, 3, corresponding in shape to the cam-surface of said wheel, so that between the series of cams e and the projection 5 is formed a groove or guide within which the anti-friction wheel 0 travels to operate the sickle-bar and to give the same a reciprocating movement.

Upon the main shaft G, which carries the drive-wheel B, is mounted a gear-wheel, H, which meshes with a pinion, I, upon the shaft 2, said shaft 2 being provided with a pinion, 5, which engages with a gear, 4, upon one side of the disk to of the cylinder 0. By this construction it is evident that the movement of the drive-wheel B and shaft G will communicate motion to gears H and I, to cause the cylinder to revolve. At the same time motion is communicated by the same mechanism to operate the sickle bar and cause that device to have a reciprocating movement within the frame I).

The apron or endless belt J, which is located between the sides of the frame A, has upon its outer surface cleats f, for the purpose of aiding the movement of the stalks or of the detached corn. This apron passes over a roller, 9, and at another point it passes around another roller, it, upon the shaft of which is mounted to revolve a gear-wheel, i, which communicates motion to the gear wheels k k upon the shafts of the longitudi nally-grooved rolls K K, the object of these rollers being to separate the ears of corn from any broken pieces of stalks to which they may adhere. The shaft of the roller K may have a bearing in suitable blocks in the frame, and springs, 6, may be interposed above the block to allow the roller K to yield when the stalks are passing between them.

Running crosswise the machine and beneath the rollers K K is a platform, L, over which travels one or more endless bands or aprons, M M, which pass around rollers N N,,journaled in the frame of the machine; as seen in Fig. 3.

Upon the shaft of the roller N is a gearwheel, I, which, through the agency of a series of idle-gears, m, imparts motion to another series of gearing, n, located upon the shafts of the grooved husking-rolls O, which receive the cars from the endless bands or aprons M. and feed them forward by the continued revolution of the said rollers.

1? represents a gear-wheel upon the outer end of the main shaft, which meshes with a gear wheel, 19, and thence, through idlers r and s, communicates motion tothe gears t upon the ends of the spirally-grooved husking-rollers T, which may have a yielding movement by reason of springs (not shown) placed in the frame A. These rollers are journaled in the frame at right angles to the lower huskingrollers, O.

The gears t may be dispensed with, and a chain-belt substituted.

One of the upper husking-rollers, T, is also provided with a beveled gear, a, which engages a similar gear, 10, which has a pinion, 00, attached for engaging with and operating the gears n of the lower husking-rolls.

R represents an endless apron-frame, in which is mounted to revolve the rollers g the lower one of which is provided with a gear, Z, which receives its movement from the gear z, and operates an endless belt or carrier, U, provided with suitable cleats.

If desirable, a fan may be located near the husking-rolls, to separate the silk from the corn, and a suitable frame or platform may be constructed in the rear of the husking-rollers, to receive the husk portions of the stalk and silk.

The machine is intended to be drawn by two or more horses. It takes two rows, the horses standing to the right of the rows, as in reaping. The revolving cylinder 0 strips the'ears from the stalks and throws them 011 the apron immediately back of the cylinder. The apron then carries the ears to the two rollers K K, the office of these rollers being to separate the ears from any broken pieces of stalk. The cars so separated drop into the trough back of and below the said rollers. The ears that have no broken stalks attached drop through the space between the dropper and the lower roller and onto the aprons M.

In husking, the ears are carried from the trough endwise by the two belts to the husking apparatus, the lower rollers, O, of which revolve in the forward direction of the ear. The upper rollers, T, as seen, are placed at right angles to the lower ones. The combined motion of the upper and lower rollers gives to the ears a circular and forward motion,which results in stripping the husk from the cars, the latter being thrown onto the apron or carrier U and carried directly to a wagon drawn by a separate team at the right-hand side of the machine. The husking-rollers must revolve rapidly. As the corn is thrown from these rollers onto the carrier, the fan blows or separates the husks and silk from the corn.

The sickle and sickledriver are not absolutely necessary except when the corn is green or damp, when the corn or stalk may pull hard, and in such case they are pulled back to the sickle and cut 013'.

The sickle drive-wheel can be removed from the shaft by taking 011' the wheel'F and removing the sickle by drawing it from the frame.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a corn-harvester, a revolving cylinder composed of outwardly extending curved arms, with open circular hubs, in combination with a removable sickle-bar and a mech anism for imparting to the sickle-bar a reciprocating movement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a corn-harvester, a revolving cylinder composed of a series of spaced outwardlyextending curved arms with open circular hubs, and provided with disks, as described, in combination with a removable sickle-bar, a wheel with a series of cam-surfaces for reciprocating the sickle-bar, and gears H I, 4 and 5, for imparting a rotary movement to said cylinder, substantially as described.

3. In a corn-harvester, a cylinder composed of a series of independent outwardly-extending curved arms, each set of arms having an open hub, disks upon the ends of the cylinder, and cross-bars for connecting the arms so as to leave spaces between the arms for the passage of the stalks to a reciprocating sicklebar, substantially as described.

4. In a corn-harvester, and in combination with a revolving cylinder, G, and a frame, D, a removable sickle-bar carrying an anti-friction roller at one end, a wheel. having a series of cam-surfaces, and suitable mechanism connected with the main shaft to operate the sickle-bar and at the same time revolve the cylinder, substantially as described.

5. In a corn-harvester, the frame A, revolving cylinder 0, gears for operating the cylinder, a wheel with cam-surfaces for reciprocating the removable sickle-bar, and an endless band or apron, in combination with yielding roller K and endless bands or carriers for feeding the cornto the husking-rolls, substantially as described.

6. In acorn-harvester and husking apparatus, a revolving cylinder composed of outweirdly-extending curved arms, a removable sickle-bar, and mechanism for operating the cylinder and sickle-bar, an apron for carrying the corn to a pair of longitudinally-grooved yielding rolls K K, and endless bands or carriers M,in combination with the grooved bushing-rolls O O T T, the upper huskingrolls T, provided with spirally-grooved faces, and arranged at right angles to the lower ro]lers,O O, and suitable gearing connecting with the gear-wheels H and P on the main shaft for operating the husking-rolls to give the corn a forward and also a lateral movement, substantially as described.

7. In a corn-harvester and husking apparatus, the mechanism set forth for cutting and feeding the corn to the aprons or carriers M, and the grooved hnsking-rollers K K, the

KIRKE E. LATHROP.

Witnesses: E. F. SULLIVAN,

W. BURD. 

